Wade Baby Shower

I'm in super nesting mode right now.  Yaniv and I drew up a calendar with everything we want to get done around the house before the baby arrives with everything from vacuuming more regularly to detailing both cars (which we did today!).  It feels good to know we're trying to be productive and organized, but sometimes I wonder how long we'll last at this pace...

Mom hosted a lovely ladies baby shower for me on Saturday.  She did a wonderful job planning an easy going party, and set it up all beautifully with the help of Tom, Ryan, Anne, and Katherine.  It is great having such a helpful family and close friends!

Lots of ladies came, with a mix of my friends from Houston and Mom's friends from Mont B.  I've never had a shower before this baby (we skipped bridal showers), so it's a very new experience.  Not since childhood birthday parties have I ever received so many gifts at one time!  It makes a person feel incredibly spoiled, but deeply appreciative.  We played games, munched on healthy goodies, and (obviously) opened gifts.  Thank you SO much to everyone who came!  

Kandice, one of my mom's friends, made an amazing pile of all the wonderful gifts we were given.

Mom even had a delicious red velvet cake decorated to match the decal in the nursery, and they spelled my name correctly!!

 After it was all over, the remaining guests took a few moments to torture my college-aged brother by gathering in his room to take a picture!  I hope you like it, Matt!

31 Weeks = 7 Months = Are we there yet??

I've officially been pregnant long enough that the weight of my belly makes it hard to get out of bed.  Which, at night, happens to be a lot - as in 12:40am and 4:00am every night, on the dot, without fail, plus a few other times.

It's also officially made me swollen enough that I'm too scared to wear my wedding ring.  I mean, what happens when I go into labor and I realize my finger is so plump I can't take off my bling, and then I have an emergency C-section, and then I come out of everything okay but my ring is suddenly missing because someone yoinked it off my finger while I was out?  Yes, that is how my brain works now.  So meet my new ring, Francine.

It seems I can name objects quite easily, but babies, not so much.

And finally, the part we all actually care about: the bump!  It is growing and growing and growing... setting a good pace for itself.  I can't wait to have a real waistline again, but until then I think the only person who thinks my bump just makes me look like a fat person is Ryan's friend, Katherine.  And yes, it crushed my soul when she said that.

Boshernitzan Baby Shower

First of all, last week was wonderful because Yaniv's big brother, Zvi, came in for the holidays and the baby shower.  It had been almost 9 months since we last saw him, so it was great to spend time with him all week - thanks for flying in, bro!  I wish I had more foresight and kept my camera out the whole week, instead of just at the baby shower...

Yaniv's parents were kind enough to host a baby shower for us September 11th at their home.  After saying many times we'd have a "light" meal because the shower was at 2pm, Natalia surprised everyone by having a beautiful and bountiful smörgåsbord of salads, salmon, and cake spread across two gigantic tables seating 20!  

After stuffing our faces with salada bef, artichoke and corn salad, eggplant salad, caviar, lochs, feta salad, salmon, and quinoa (seriously, there was that much delicious food!), we played a quick game of baby pictionary and guess Kristi's belly size (39.5" at the widest!).  

Then we opened gifts, all of which were so beautifully wrapped and wonderfully chosen!  I have to mention that I have NEVER seen such large gift bags, and if anyone needs a large, baby themed gift bag, PLEASE let me know...  Although I'm hoping to use them soon (Janelle, Emily, Fabienne...).  

Finally, the day ended with cake and tea.  Delicious strawberry filled cake... Yum!  

East Nursery Wall: Done

I've more or less put the finishing touches on the east wall of the nursery, and I must say that we've managed to keep with the nature theme rather splendidly.  I know it's not a perfect designer showcase, but it's whimsical, durable, and inviting - exactly what a baby should have.

We just added the white butterflies and purple butterfly tap light, which has a 15 minute time out and is perfect as a night-light.  I was worried the room wouldn't be girly enough, but I think the addition of +/-20 butterflies helped.  I've never been a huge fan of butterflies, but these are really cool 3-dimensional ones that snap onto the wall, so if they fall they can't hurt the baby.

The rug is still in contention, but until Yaniv sells it...

A close up of the crib shows off my c'est la vie pillow I made from an old tee shirt and Inga, our baby girl's first doll courtesy of my cousin Ben and his wife Angie.  I know pillows and such can't stay in the crib once the baby moves in, but that won't be for a few months as we plan on co-sleeping, so for now it just feels complete.

Next up: the west wall, the rug, the closet, the bathroom, the kitchen baby drawer...

Road Trip Recap

Six and a half months pregnant, 8 hours in a car, and lots of potty breaks later, we are home safely.

We started out by dropping my middle brother, Matt, off at his very first year of college at Rose Hulman in Terre Haute, IN.  While he set up his dorm and otherwise wasn't too concerned about being on his own for the first time, the rest of us waited around held back tears at the thought of him growing up so quickly.

Yaniv and I spent a few hours with my paternal grandparents in Terre Haute, enjoying the countryside air on their front porch.

Then we headed to Aunt Charlotte's lake house for Hayward family fun time, a surprise baby shower, smores by the fire, and picnicking on the lake.  I know my family is crazy, but there is such love and joy when we have everyone together that it couldn't make me any happier.  BTW: The picture below is not representative of the 4 generations, 6 daughters, 12 grandchildren, and 12 (including ours) great-grandchildren Pat and Ruth Harward somehow managed to produce without going completely insane.

We were able to spend Monday with my Grandparent Haywards at their home in Lafayette, where Yaniv showed off his ping pong skills against my mom and 85-year-old grandfather while I finally had a chance to rest.

In St. Louis, we stayed with our friend from college, Kelli, and her beau, Ravi.  She suggested we visit a sculpture garden and the zoo, both of which were spectacularly amazing.  Kelli and Ravi made us homemade Indian food from SCRATCH that wowed me.  We also went to a place called The Fountain that had the most amazing ice cream desserts I've ever tasted!

On our way to the big event, the Lancaster wedding, we stopped by Meramac Caverns and my old home town of Bartlesville, OK.  All I can say is that they haven't changed much...

Then the wedding was upon us!  Tulsa, OK; Harwelden Mansion.  Beautiful, fun, elegant, and simple.  What a fabulous way to wrap up a trip.

And once we arrived home, we were greeted by Yaniv's brother Zvi in town for the holidays, and we put the final touches on the east side of the nursery.  More on that later, as this is already too long to read, right?